"What's wrong, Tyler?" Tyler's mom asks.
"Huh?" Tyler says, looking up.
"You've just been sitting there all day," she says, sitting down next to him on the sofa. "Is there something wrong?"
"Well," Tyler says. He tries to stop himself, but the words suddenly come pouring out. "Josh and I had sex, okay? And ever since then he's been extra moody and I don't know what to do. And yesterday we had a fight because I agreed with him when he said that everything is blue-black and he got mad because I don't know what it's like. And he's right, I don't know what it's like for everything to be blue-black. But he kept on yelling and yelling and Mom, he's hurt so bad at home and I want to help him but I can't and that hurts."
"You- you had sex with Josh?"
Tyler looks up to see his mother's face completely white.
"Yes," he says slowly. "That's what I said, right?"
"Tyler," his mom says urgently, squeezing his hand so hard it's to the point of painful, "did it hurt?"
Tyler feels his face contort into a vaguely shocked and disgusted expression. "What?"
"When you had sex with Josh, did it hurt?" his mom says. "Did he hurt you?"
Tyler frowns. "Well, a little. But I didn't really notice then." He considers this thoughtfully. "It hurt to sit down the next day," he says truthfully.
His mom looks absolutely horrified. "Oh, Tyler," she whispers, wrapping him into a hug. "I'm so sorry."
"What?" Tyler says, confused. Why is she sorry? Wasn't the sex a good thing? It felt good.
"It's okay," Tyler's mom says, rocking him gently. "It's okay. You're safe here."
Tyler sits there, utterly bewildered. Was he not supposed to have enjoyed it?
His mom runs a hand through his hair. "You're all right. No one's going to hurt you. Not anymore."
Tyler's mom hasn't let him out of her sight since he told her he had sex with Josh.
He hopes Josh will understand why he hasn't been out to make amends yet.
His mom has only left his side to call a few people and to talk to his dad.
"I'm just going to go say hi to your siblings, okay?" his mom says, when they hear the garage door open. "I'll be right back."
Tyler nods slowly.
He can hear his mom greeting his brother and sister when there's a tap on the living room window. He looks out to see Josh standing there, waving cautiously.
Tyler runs to the window, opening it.
"Hi," he says cautiously.
"Come on," Josh says, gesturing out to the woods behind them.
Tyler bites his lip. "My mom'll freak out if she comes back and I'm not here," he says.
Josh sighs. "Please?" he says. "I'm sorry, Tyler. I didn't mean to yell. Please. I'm sorry."
Tyler sighs, looking out. "Fine," he murmurs, climbing out of the window.
"Hi," Josh says softly, cautiously taking his hand. "Can we talk?"
"Okay," Tyler says, and they walk, hand-in-hand, into the forest.
"I'm sorry that I blew up at you like that," Josh apologizes once they're safely hidden in the trees.
"I'm sorry I said I understood," Tyler says. "I don't understand. I don't know what I was thinking."
Josh smiles, C major lips a little sad. "Everybody's fucking sorry," he whispers, and Tyler leans in and kisses him.
